New Milford

Sat. Jun 6

09:00 am

-

11:00 am

2.5 miles

To make your hike a pleasant one, meet at the Tory’s Cave parking lot with sturdy shoes, plenty of water, a snack, bug spray, and walking stick if you might need one for steeper trail sections.
Tory’s Cave has been closed to human entry to protect hibernating bats, but we will have a close encounter with its moss-covered entry. You will learn about the cave’s legends dating back to the American Revolution and the history of this forested landscape. We will climb about 550 feet of elevation. The hike continues up Boardman Mountain through The Eleanor and Howard Hunt Nature Preserves and winds through a mix of deciduous hardwoods, birch, beech, white pines, and glacial erratics. Footing is not difficult but uneven. We will climb about 550 feet of elevation, but most of it is on the first half. This hike is located roughly in the center of the Housatonic Range Trail and is the only loop section. You will learn how to access other sections of the trail for future explorations on your own.

Meeting Location Details

499 Kent Road (Route 7), New Milford, CT 06776

The small, dirt pull-off parking area for Tory’s Cave is on the southbound side of Route 7. Coming from the south or east, it is 4.9 miles north of Veteran’s Bridge in New Milford (the junction of Routes 67 and 7). Coming from the north or west, it is 2.3 miles south of the Route 55 and Route 7 junction in Gaylordsville. Group leaders will direct parking so that we can all fit. Please be careful entering and exiting the parking area. Traffic moves briskly along this section of Route 7.
The nearest restrooms are at Big Y, Stop & Shop, or various fast-food restaurants along Route 7, 5+ miles south of the bridge, so plan ahead!

Click on the red map pin for the event address.